LA Kings Fan Scores Blue Line Goal To Win 2015-16 Season Tickets

A 28-year-old office administrator from Fountain Valley, Calif., stepped onto the ice at Staples Center and scored a goal to win LA Kings 2015-2016 season tickets.

As part of a contest sponsored by Mercury Insurance, Anita Russell shot the puck from the blue line between the second and third periods of Saturday’s (April 4) game between the LA Kings and Colorado Avalanche.

Russell set her sights on the six feet wide goal that was 64 feet from her, lined up the puck in front of a sold out crowd and hit a perfect slap shot between the posts and into the net.

Mercury Insurance announced the promotion to hockey fans in January, and the only requirement for entry was to receive an auto insurance quote. Thousands of LA Kings fans entered the promotion and five finalists were randomly selected to participate in the on-ice contest.

Each finalist received two tickets to a catered suite to watch the LA Kings battle for a spot in the 2015 NHL playoffs. During the second intermission, the contestants were brought down to the ice, drew tickets to determine the order they would shoot in and prepared to compete for the grand prize.

All but one scored from the high slot and made it to the second round where they shot from the blue line. Russell was the last contestant to take the shot and the only one to make it.

Russell won the grand prize with the crowd going wild! She receives two season tickets for 2015-2016. Here is our Q&A with Anita Russell.

Q: What were your first thoughts when you realized you were a finalist for the LA Kings playoff tickets giveaway?

A: “My very first thought was, ‘Is this for real?’ I’ve never won anything this big, so to say I was shocked is an understatement.”

Q: How did you find out about the LA Kings playoff ticket giveaway?
A: “I go to a lot of LA Kings games throughout the season and I had seen it advertised at the Staples Center, as well as on the LA Kings website.”

Q: What made you want to enter the giveaway?
A: “I originally entered the giveaway because I wanted the mini sticks for my desk at work. I never thought that I would actually get chosen as a finalist.”

Q: How did you prepare for the competition?
A: “The ‘on-ice competition’ was kept a secret until the second intermission. They took us down to the ice and the only thing I could do to prepare was just keep telling myself to stay calm. No matter what the competition was, this was an experience that I will probably never get to do again, and I told myself to enjoy it.”

Q: How was it playing on the same ice as the LA Kings?
A: “When I walked out on the ice it was a very surreal moment. I always imagined what it would be like out on the ice that the LA Kings play on. It was exciting!”

Q: Who is your favorite LA Kings player?
A: “My favorite player would be Anze Kopitar, I even named my dog after him.”

Q: Were you surprised by how quickly you won?
A: “I was, when the in arena announcer told me that if I made the shot, I would automatically win. I thought to myself, ‘don’t mess up, don’t mess up.’ When I made the shot and I heard everyone cheer my heart started racing.”

Q: Any additional comments?
A: “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to win these tickets and give me an experience of a lifetime down on the ice. Also, thank you for putting myself and a guest in a suite while watching the game on Saturday.”